Rocket launcher

Rocket launchers are weapons that launch explosive, self-propelled projectiles. Many are disposable and can be carried by a single soldier. Rocket launchers are held on the shoulder when firing and can have a telescopic aiming device, or scope. Rocket launchers can be used to attack vehicles, including helicopters, tanks, and trucks. They can also be used against personnel and materiel. Several rocket launchers carry automatic tracking systems.

They come with all kinds of rocket types for most scenarios, including anti-tank, air-burst and anti-structure. They come from anything from a short range, 300m type launcher to a fire-and-forget lock-on 2,500m rocket launcher.

The Javelin and RPG-7 are probably the most recognizable rocket launchers on the planet, the Javelin locks onto a target and can deliver its missile 2,500m and hit that precise target - as well as being able to do this in direct and top attack mode. The RPG-7 is the rocket launcher favored by most insurgents in areas that have been inundated with Soviet weaponry, and can effectively take out APCs and lightly armored vehicles at around 300m.

The backblast danger area is a cone-shaped area behind the rocket launcher where hot gases are expelled when the rocket launcher is fired. In confined spaces like urban areas, operators and ground personnel are in more danger of being injured by the backblast.

This lead manufacturers to invent the AT4 (M136 rocket launcher) C/S (confined space) which uses compressed saltwater to minimize backblast, allowing it to be used in urban areas. The AT4 C/S dramatically reduces the scale of the pressure wave being expelled from the rocket launcher.